feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfe-vər-ish 

ˈfē-vrish

1

a

: tending to cause fever

b

: having the symptoms of a fever

c

: indicating or relating to fever

2

: marked by intense emotion, activity, or instability

feverish excitement

feverishly adverb

feverishness noun

Synonyms

• heated
• excited
• agitated

Examples of feverish in a Sentence

She was feeling tired and feverish.

He had a feverish appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Beat radio station in early May, and the feverish reception inspired Konshens to record an official version of the song, which has already gotten him props from Birdman himself. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 27 June 2025

The White Lotus, HBO’s Emmy-winning series that launched to rave reviews in July 2021, has become a bona fide cultural phenomenon over its three-season (and counting) run, generating feverish headlines and intense social media chatter with each new episode. —Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, 18 June 2025

That’s after the European Central Bank confirmed the yellow metal had overtaken the euro on the back of feverish buying sprees that have pushed its price to record highs over the last 12 months. —Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

The perennial Norris Trophy candidate worked at a feverish pace to beat the clock and recover from Feb. 4 knee surgery in time to be part of this playoff run. —Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfēv-(ə-)rish 

1

a

: having a fever

b

: of, relating to, or being fever

c

: tending to cause fever

2

: showing great emotion or activity : hectic

feverish excitement

feverishly adverb

feverishness noun

Medical Definition

feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfēv-(ə-)rish 

1

: showing symptoms indicating fever (as increased heat and thirst or delirium) : having a fever

the patient is feverish

specifically : abnormally hot

the child's forehead felt feverish

2

: of or indicating fever

a feverish condition

3

: infected with or tending to cause fever

a damp, feverish, unhealthy spot

—R. L. Stevenson